A disclosed apparatus includes a light source part that emits light under electric power; a casing part housing the light source part; and a light guide member protruding from the casing part and causing the light input from the light source part through input surfaces to be derived out of branched output surfaces (Patent Document 1).
A disclosed apparatus includes a light guide part having an assembly of light guide plates for deriving light input through input surfaces out of a recessed or convex pattern formed on main surfaces as diffused light; a casing part adjoining the light guide part and fitted with a light source part for introducing light into the light guide plates through the input surfaces and with a power source unit for supplying predetermined drive electric power to the light source part; and a holder part engaging the light guide plates of the light guide part and detachably holding at least the light guide plates onto the casing part (Patent Documents 2 and 3).
An apparatus that has been disclosed includes a light guide part having a light guide plate branched into a plurality of parts with a diffused light deriving pattern formed on at least one surface thereof; a light source part adjoining the light guide part and having light sources for introducing light into the light guide plate from a lower surface thereof toward an opposite upper surface; a heat dissipating part abutting on the back surface of the light source part for absorbing and dissipating heat generated by the light source part; a feeding part electrically connected to the light source part for supplying electric power to the light source part; and a holder part abutting on one end of the light guide part and detachably holding at least the light guide part onto the heat dissipating part (Patent Document 4).
An apparatus that has been disclosed includes a plurality of light guide plates with reflecting dots formed by the pressing of an ultrasonic processing horn correspondingly to the shape of processing dots arranged in a matrix on the horn; LED light sources for causing LED light to enter the light guide plates; and a holder member holding the LED light sources. The plurality of light guide plates are formed such that main surfaces on which the reflecting dots are formed have different angles (Patent Document 5).
An apparatus for manufacturing a light guide member used in light emitting apparatuses employing such light guide members includes a light guide plate base member fixing part for fixing a light guide plate base member, as a base member to be formed into a light guide plate; an ultrasonic processing horn for forming recesses by partially melting main surfaces of the light guide plate base member fixed on the light guide plate base member fixing part by ultrasonic vibrations; a moving mechanism for moving the ultrasonic processing horn along the main surfaces of the light guide plate base member and downward toward the main surface of the light guide plate base member; and a control unit for controlling the ultrasonic processing horn and the moving mechanism so that, after the recesses are formed to have a predetermined depth in the light guide plate base member, the position of the ultrasonic processing horn is maintained while application of ultrasound to the ultrasonic processing horn is continued (Patent Document 6).
As a method for manufacturing a light guide member, a method for manufacturing a light guide plate for inputting light through side surfaces of a light guide plate board and deriving the light out of main surfaces thereof has been disclosed. The manufacturing method includes arranging processing dots on a rectangular end surface of an ultrasonic processing horn in a matrix; forming reflecting dots corresponding to the processing dots of the end surface on one main surface of the light guide plate board by pressing the end surface of the ultrasonic processing horn onto the one main surface of the light guide plate board; and forming the reflecting dots in a predetermined area on the one main surface of the light guide plate board by repeating the formation of the reflecting dots while moving the ultrasonic processing horn relative to the light guide plate board on the plane of the one main surface. The reflecting dots are formed on both of opposite main surfaces of the light guide plate board such that the reflecting dots are not aligned between the opposite faces of the opposite main surfaces (Patent Document 8).
The entire contents of the prior art documents are incorporated herein by reference.